Did Your Cockatiel Fly the Coop?

By BROOKLYN LOWERY (Patch Staff)

A lovely Sept. 1 turned positively tropical for one Swampscott resident when that person spotted a “parrot” sitting on a deck near Humphrey Street.

That person called police and police, in turn, contacted Animal Control Officer Diane Treadwell, who said this made the third tropical bird her office has been called to pick up this summer.

“People have pet birds and this time of year their windows are open and the bird gets out or it escapes through an open door,” Treadwell said. “We pick up multiple birds each summer, especially cockatiels and parakeets.”

On this particular occasion, Treadwell arrived on the scene near the beach on Humphrey Street and found that someone had thought to grab the bird and put it in a box.

“It doesn’t always go that smoothly,” Treadwell said.

In this case, catching the bird was the easy part. Reuniting lost birds with their owners is notoriously difficult, Treadwell said.

“A lot of times these birds are from another town, county or even state,” Treadwell said. “They can fly such long distances. It’s very hard to reunite them with their owners.”

Until she can find the bird’s owner or a foster family, Treadwell has the cockatiel living with her. She said that anyone who is missing their bird should call Swampscott Animal Control and give her a description of the cockatiel, which she said is “fairly unique looking.”